This invention relates to sofa bed mechanisms of the type in which a foldable bed frame is mounted within a sofa frame for movement between a horizontal bed position and a folded sofa position in which the bed frame is stored within the sofa frame. The objectives of such mechanisms include compactness in the sofa position, sleeper comfort in the bed position, simplicity of design and operation, and minimization of cost and weight.
Many conventional sofa frames have front, back and side frame members which define a storage space which includes a vertically elongated portion adjacent the back frame member. In order to achieve the aforementioned objective of compactness in the sofa position, it is desirable to utilize the elongated portion of the storage space in storing the bed frame. In particular, in sofa bed mechanisms wherein the bed frame comprises a head section, an intermediate section, and a foot section, it has been found desirable to store the head section within the vertically elongated portion of the storage space. Consequently, it is an object of the present invention to provide a sofa bed mechanism comprising a bed frame with a head section wherein the head section can be stored within the vertically elongated portion of the storage space in a sofa frame of the type previously mentioned.
Another object of this invention is to provide a means for moving the head section of a sofa bed frame into a vertically elongated storage space which does not interfere with sleeper comfort in the bed position, does not add to the outside dimension of the bed frame, and is lightweight, inexpensive and simple to install and operate.